Thursday, March 30, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC, March 30, 2017 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) has increased access to international education by granting a record-breaking 51 scholarships totaling $225,000 to US students consistently underrepresented in study abroad. These figures represent a doubling of the number of scholarships and a $75,000 (50%) increase over funds granted last year.

The students come from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and represent higher education institutions across the country. Students will be studying across the globe, from a minimum of four weeks to a full academic year. FEA funds scholarships of up to $10,000 for study abroad.

With this year’s scholars, a total of 168 students, including minority, LGBTQI, first-generation, community college, and students studying in non-traditional destinations have benefited from over $700,000 in scholarships granted since FEA’s inception in 2010. This year, 90% of the students are of minority backgrounds, and a large majority of scholars (84%) are first-generation college students. Almost all (96%) awardees will study the host country language. Additionally, 46% of all the FEA scholars have a community college background.

“Investing in international education is investing in our nation’s future,” said Adam Cooper, Senior Vice President of the US division of STA Travel, which funds a dedicated scholarship for FEA. “Students who travel abroad have formative experiences that influence the course of their lives.” The STA Travel Start the Adventure scholarship provides for individual students and gives discretionary, capacity-building grants to international education departments to strategically fund another student.

“We are tremendously grateful for the continued and ever-increasing support of FEA donors. Their generosity has helped us augment our giving each year, making the life-enhancing dream of study abroad come true for more students,” said FEA Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “FEA scholars and all students who study abroad grow to be some of our nation’s best public diplomats.”

The 2017 FEA scholarship winners were selected from a pool of nearly 1,500 applicants representing approximately 440 colleges and universities across the country. A team of 102 volunteer reviewers individually read and reviewed each application.

FEA offers general and dedicated scholarships. Dedicated scholarships include numerous regional scholarships, the Hiliary Echo Douglas Memorial scholarship, which is dedicated to those who wish to travel to Vietnam, the Jane Gluckmann & Carol Rausch Go Global scholarship, for students studying abroad in Mexico, Central America, South America, France, or Germany, and a Rainbow scholarship for students nationwide who self-identify as LGBTQI.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) has a great website with a list of the 50 U.S. states and by clicking on a state you can see what USGLC activities are taking place, find out the impact of the International Affairs Budget on a community and to learn how you can get involved. Both IIE Open Doorsmentioning number of students studying abroad and economic impact of international students as well as Peace Corpsdata cited!USGLC website available at http://bit.ly/2ne9c6W

How will this new policy impact students, scholars and faculty who are currently abroad for academic purposes who no doubt have such electronic devices with them and are scheduled to return to the U.S. on foreign carriers departing from the eight countries?

While this ban permits all banned electronic devices to be packed and transported in checked luggage on foreign flagged flights to the U.S. from these eight countries most people will not do so due to the risk of theft or damage. A friend of mine who travels the globe extensively for work [non-international educator] just landed in Nairobi (with RT stopovers in Dubai) and just posted to Facebook wondering what to do with his laptop and iPad as he will return to the U.S. (O'Hare) on Emirates Airlines via Dubai. His initial thought is to donate his laptop somewhere in Kenya...

Hameed Khalid Darweesh was an Iraqi translator for U.S. forces who entered the U.S. on a valid visa and was detained at JFK for ~18 hours shortly after President Trump’s first immigration executive order was issued.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

According to NAFSA: "Dr. Brimmer will outline
current NAFSA initiatives and actions that the organization is taking to help
international educators achieve success in their practice and for their campus.
She will address state-of-day issues and answer selected questions."Follow along at www.facebook.com/nafsa

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

On October 14, 1960 at 2:00am, Senator John F. Kennedy speaks to ~10,000 students at the University of Michigan proposes the idea of the Peace Corps. You can read more about this historic speech via the Founding Moment page of the Peace Corps website.

International Higher Education Consulting Blog provides timely news and informational pieces, predominately from a U.S. perspective, that are of interest to both the international education and public diplomacy communities. From time to time, International Higher Education Consulting Blog will post thought provoking pieces to challenge readers and to encourage comment and professional dialogue.

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I currently work as the Assistant Provost for Global Education at Columbia College Chicago. Prior to my position at Columbia College, I worked for seventeen years as Associate Director of International Programs at the Booth School of Business, as Senior Adviser
for International Initiatives in The College and as Assistant Director in the
Office of International Affairs, all at The University of Chicago. I also serve as a Study Abroad Research Consultant for the Center for Global Education at California State University at Dominguez Hills. Additionally, I have taught online for The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

I received my B.A. in Spanish and Latin American
Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, my M.S. in
Family Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and my Ph.D. in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies, Comparative and International Education from Loyola University Chicago.

The opinions expressed are my own, and they do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of my employer.